Scrabble & Spring Cleaning
For me, when I begin to clean thing always seem to get much worse before they begin to get better. I’m not talking about the kind of cleaning when you scrub the tub or clean the microwave oven.
My cleaning is more often about the clutter that I’ve accumulated over time. Those nasty things that come in the mail or the stuff I pick up when I’m out and about and bring home. Things that I initially save because I think they may be important but there is no immediate urgency.
Sure I put them all in a pile (a pile that I never refer back to). A pile grows on one table until it become high and tippy. Then I begin a second pile, then a third, etc. I live alone, so there isn’t anyone here nag me to pick up after myself. That’s a good thing.
Oh yeah, I create a lot of stuff too. Mostly scrabble related: word lists; fliers for events; templates for my whiz cards. I find it very difficult to dispose of the things that I have created, even after they are outdated and of no use any longer. So I put them in boxes on shelves of in storage crates. The problem is. . . . one room has become wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling containers. Ooops.
This week I took the first few steps in the 12 step program.
1. I admitted that I was powerless to handle this on my own. I had begun to tackle the situation so many times on my own, only to tire or become distracted, and ultimately to settle back down in front of the TV with my laptop on my lap, a icy beverage within reach, and that was that until the next time.
2. I hired some help. I asked around and found a cleaner to help me. My big concern that had stopped me from asking for help was that a 3rd party would know which of my stuff to save and which to throw away. Finally, I was willing to not care. (The truth is, if any or all of the stuff disappeared, there is nothing specific that I really needed.)
3. While the stuff was the main issue, other things needed cleaning too. So I assigned the cleaner to deal with the kitchen and the bathrooms while I took trash bags and sorted through boxes and shelves and storage containers. Some of this was very painful for me at first. But as I got into it I was able to let go of more and more. By the time the third trash bag was in the garbage bin I was feeling more at ease.
4. Giving away to other became a priority. There were many items that were sitting in my storage bins that had value. I recognized that those items would serve others well and free up space in my home. I decided that anything I could not give away directly to a friend would be donated to Good Will. I made a few calls and identified a new school that would appreciate any donation.
5. I set out 1 container for the school, a bag for trash, and a third container for things too precious to give away today.
I am far from being finished. But I have made a significant dent in the project. I anticipate completion by the end of next week.
And what do you think is the reason for this long overdue change?
My mother is coming to California and will stay with me for a few days at the end of the month. I just couldn’t imagine hearing her telling me, at my age, to clean up my room.
What does this have to do with scrabble? Nothing and Everything. Seasoned players accumulate all kinds of study tools that end up on shelves and in storage boxes. At one time they helped us build out word knowledge but we became tired or lazy. If we go through those items and relight our passions, we can become even greater. And for the stuff that we no longer need. . . give it away to some newbie and light a fire under them.